You can normally count on throwing the record book out the window when rivals Cave Spring and Hidden Valley tangle in any sport.
Monday afternoon at the Cave Spring softball complex, the Lady Knights showed this isn’t a normal year.
Improving to 17-1 on the season, Cave Spring rolled to the easy 11-1 win over Hidden Valley in a game shortened to five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Due to a rainout in late April, the two teams were meeting for the first time this season, and will play for the second time in four days when they have a rematch this Thursday at Hidden Valley.
“Cave Spring is a good hitting team,” Hidden Valley head coach Brett Newman noted after a short meeting with her team following the lopsided loss. “I told our girls we play again on Thursday. It will be a different day and it will be nice to play at home.”
The Knights used a relentless offense and stellar pitching by ace Taylor Asimakopoulos to put this one to rest in methodical fashion.
“You want to end it early,” Knights head coach Nick Sharp said afterward. “These girls know each other, so you can’t hide a lot. It’s a rivalry and both teams want to play their best. Our hitting was pretty good today.”
Cave Spring wasted no time taking the lead, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning on a Pami White 2-RBI single.
Hidden Valley had its biggest offensive highlight of the day in their half of the second when freshman Kiana Cook sent a low-liner over the left field fence for a solo homer that cut the Titan deficit to 2-1. It was all Cave Spring thereafter.
The Knights added a run in the second when pinch runner Jaz Brickey scored on a passed ball and Cave Spring added four more in the third, keyed by a Cassi Parulis double and RBI singles by Morgan Leftwich, Asimakopoulos and Abby Beatty.
Asimakopoulos pitched out of jams in the third and fourth to preserve the Cave Spring lead and the Knights came to bat in the bottom of the fifth, up 7-1.
Brickey got things going with a seeing-eye blooper to left and Asimakopoulos followed with a bunt single. After a walk juiced the bases, Beatty laced a 2-run single that made it 9-1. Later in the inning Parulis sent a shot to center that plated two and ended the proceedings with the 10-run differential.
Parulis and Beatty each had three hits and three RBIs to pace the Cave Spring attack. Cook led Hidden Valley with 2 hits, including her solo blast.
“I was seeing the ball well and driving through with my swings,” Parulis noted of her hitting efficiency.
Beatty, who returned to the Cave Spring lineup after being sidelined for three weeks with an Achilles injury, noted it was good getting back in the lineup.
“It was rough being out,” Beatty admitted. “I focused on basics and hit well today. I gave out a little toward the end and didn’t want to push it. There’s always a lot of competition against Hidden Valley. A lot of smack talk.”
Asimakopoulos went the distance for the 5-hit win, picking up her 17th win of the season. Hidden Valley fell to 9-9.
Bill Turner